Many Crave Stability After Three Years of Political and Social Upheaval

Egyptians finished the first day of voting in a presidential election with a predictable outcome—the installation of a former army chief expected to restore military-backed autocracy in a country desperate for stability after years of political upheaval.

The election of Abdel Fattah Al Sisi is a foregone conclusion in the two-day vote ending Tuesday. He faces only one weak challenger, Hamdeen Sabahi, a leftist who came in third in...